Nightmares Come True
by Katkid
Summary: Izzy never told the others that he had had nightmares every night since he was a small child. When they start coming true, what will happen?
1. Default Chapter Title

Disclaimer: No matter how much I wish I did, I do not own Digimon in any way; which means you can't sue me.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
Izzy tossed and turned in his sleep noiselessly. He had grown accustomed to the awful nightmares he had had since a child, but all that had happened in the Digital World intensified them dramatically.   
  
He had never told any of his other teammates about them. After all, he didn't want them to worry about him unnecessarily. Had he known what would come from the nightmares, perhaps he would have reconsidered his decision.  
  
A Digimon that looked like a type of vapor crept from the nearby forest silently and surveyed the group of eight children and Digimon intently. When its eyes fell on Izzy, it smiled and suddenly its body began twisting and shifting until it no longer looked a thing like vapor. It now looked much like Gatomon, but with a few subtle differences. Its fur was pure black and the glove-paws were a very dark green color with crimson stripes across them.  
  
It advanced toward Izzy slowly as he continued to struggle in his sleep and laid a gloved paw on his forehead. Izzy immediately stopped moving and sighed heavily as the Gatomon-like Digimon muttered a type of incantation.  
  
The Digimon smiled and slowly lifted its paw off of Izzy's head. He began struggling once again in his sleep.  
  
The Digimon began to walk back toward the woods, then stopped, cast a final glance back at Izzy and whispered: "that's right, dream. Little do you know that it will be the death of your friends" before once again becoming vapory again and disappearing into the night...  
  
  
~*~  
  
Izzy knew he was dreaming. They had defeated Puppetmon and destroyed his voodoo dolls, so therefore it was impossible that his voodoo dolls were still working.   
  
Yet that was the only logical explanation to why everyone was inexplicably teleporting from one place to another. He himself had been moved from where he had been standing on the ground to the top of a tree and back. Puppetmon would grow tired of moving them around soon, he knew.  
  
As usual, Izzy was correct. Joe and Tai had started slapping each other upside the head, exclaiming to the other to stop it only to be informed that they couldn't.  
  
"Ow! Tai, watch my glasses! That hurt!" Joe shouted.  
  
"Sorry!" Tai apologized.   
  
Finally, the two boys quit hitting each other and were able to control themselves once again, but the next attack was soon upon them.  
  
TK and Mimi were floating through the air crashing into tree branches and at times each other both screaming and trying to get down.  
  
After five minutes of swooping through the air, Mimi and TK dropped back down to the ground.  
  
The next attack was on Sora and him. They were forced to hold hands and dance, which wouldn't have been too bad providing the others would have quit laughing at them.  
  
Finally, Puppetmon lost interest in making him and Sora dance and turned to more violent methods.  
  
Kari screamed and clutched her arm insisting that she was being stuck with a needle again and again.  
  
Immediately after that, Matt began screaming in pain and rubbing his back.   
  
With Kari it had only been her arm, but now it was getting more serious. When Matt finally stopped flinching every couple of seconds, Sora quarried: "are you OK?"   
  
"Yeah, now anyway," Matt replied, still rubbing his back. "That was not something I'd not want to repeat."  
  
No sooner had the words left his mouth than he gasped in terrible pain and fell to his knees.  
  
"Matt, what's wrong?" TK wondered, looking at his brother in fear.  
  
"I think he's going to kill me," Matt choked, clutching at his chest. "Oh God, it hurts!"   
  
"Hang on, Matt! We won't let him do this to you!" Tai shouted.  
  
Joe shook his head and sadly replied: "but what can we do? The only way to make Puppetmon stop is to destroy him or his dolls and we'll never find him in time."  
  
Matt cried out again and panted: "well do something quick!"   
  
"I believe that Joe is correct, Matt," Izzy stated. "Though it would stop Puppetmon from harming any of the rest of us, we wouldn't be able to find him in time for you."  
  
"Matt, no!" TK cried, trying hard not to cry.  
  
"It's OK," Matt responded. "You guys don't need me" before he groaned in pain once again.  
  
"Yes, we do, Matt!" TK argued.  
  
"No you don't. TK, Tai can take care of you if you don't think you're old enough to do it," Matt answered.  
  
Just as suddenly as it had begun, the attack on Matt ended and he was left, lying on the ground gasping for air.  
  
"I don't believe it!" Mimi squealed.   
  
"Maybe he thought you were dead," offered Joe.  
  
Izzy shook his head and answered: "no, I believe that he is coming to find us."  
  
That was when the dream ended in his eyes flying open to find that he had been correct in believing it was a dream.  
  
He glanced around the camp and upon noticing everyone was asleep, allowed himself to drift back to sleep.   
  
The rest of the night would be much better now that he had had his usual nightmare...  
  
  
~*~  
  
"If we'd have defeated all the evil, wouldn't we be home right now?" Matt argued with Tai.  
  
"Well nothing seems to be reeking havoc around here anymore, if you'll take a look around," Tai snapped back.   
  
Suddenly, Tai was gone.  
  
"Tai, where are you?" seven voices shouted in unison.  
  
There was a pause, then: "what am I doing over here?"  
  
The other Digidestined looked toward the sound of Tai's voice to see that he was now 50 yards behind them.  
  
Izzy then disappeared, reappearing in a tree before being teleported back to the ground.  
  
His eyes widened in shock and he whispered: "no, this can't be happening."   
  
"What are you talking about?" Mimi wondered.  
  
"I had-" Izzy quickly cut himself short, realizing it would sound ridiculous if he told them about his dream. "Puppetmon must have evolved into a higher form," he supplied.  
  
I'll tell them when this is over, Izzy decided.  
  
Right on cue, Tai and Joe started pounding on each other, then Mimi and TK were sent for a ride. Once that was over, Izzy and Sora were forced to dance together, to the amusement of some of the others.  
  
He knew what was coming next: Kari screamed, insisting that she was being jabbed with a needle in her arm.  
  
As soon as the attack had ended, Matt cried out and rubbed his back. This lasted for less than a minute and when it was done, Sora asked Matt if he was all right, just like in his dream.   
  
Matt gave the same reply as in the dream, then gasped, falling to his knees in the pain. This part had no variation from his nightmare.   
  
"Matt, what's happening?" TK inquired.  
  
"He's trying to kill me!" Matt gasped, clutching at his chest. "Oh God, it hurts!"  
  
It continued on exactly like his dream until it came to the part where the attack was ended. It continued on for several more minutes, each time Matt's cries of pain growing weaker and weaker until he passed out. Then, finally the attacks stopped.  
  
"Is he going to be all right?" Mimi wondered, looking at Matt nervously.  
  
"I don't know," Joe answered.  
  
He was still breathing, which obviously meant he was alive, but it was also ragged and very labored.  
  
Izzy shook his head, willing himself awake, reasoning that it had to be the same nightmare, but to his horror, it was reality...  
  
  
~*~  
  
Later that night, Matt was still unconscious.   
  
Izzy had felt somewhat responsible for what had happened and had said nothing all night. Finally, Mimi said: "Izzy, there's something wrong. You aren't this distant, even when you're using your laptop."  
  
"It's just... I feel like it was my fault," Izzy blurted before he could stop himself. The others listened as the whole story about how his dream had come true came pouring out.   
  
"There was nothing you could have done," Tai stated.  
  
"I know it was probably a coincidence, but it scared me," Izzy answered.  
  
No one had anything else to say to this remark. They went back to their business, leaving Izzy to ponder the day's events...   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	2. Default Chapter Title

Disclaimer: You don't sue me because I don't own Digimon. Do we have an understanding????  
  
  
(A/N: I'm sorry about the long wait between parts. I'll be putting the other parts out sooner than this one. Also, I forgot about the Digimon so this story will be done without them.)  
  
  
Nightmares Come True II  
  
  
  
Izzy refused to go to sleep. He didn't want the nightmares to plague him tonight. He didn't want them to come true.  
  
"Izzy, come on. You're being silly," Joe argued, then whispered: "I never thought I'd have to say that."  
  
"No," Izzy firmly answered. "I'm not going to sleep. I don't want anyone else to get hurt."  
  
"It wasn't your fault," Tai insisted.  
  
Izzy replied: "how else would you explain what happened to Matt? Or anything else for that matter?"  
  
"It was just a crazy coincidence," Sora reassured.   
  
"How could it have been a coincidence? It was exactly like my dream! Right down to the order of attacks!" Izzy exclaimed.  
  
Finally, Mimi yawned and stated: "well I'm going to sleep. I don't care what you do anymore, I'm tired" then walked away to do just that.  
  
"Stop it, Izzy. You're not acting like yourself," Kari quietly added, also leaving to go to sleep.  
  
After several more attempts at getting Izzy to go to sleep, Joe, Tai, Sora and TK left Izzy.  
  
As long as I am awake, the nightmares can't come and as long as the nightmares don't come, my friends are safe, Izzy thought.  
  
  
~*~  
  
How stupid, the vapor-like Digimon thought. The longer he stays awake, the worse his nightmares will be. Oh well, I guess he'll find out...  
  
The virus Digimon sat back and smiled. Yes, he will find out... Then I, Shiftumon will finally have them at my fingertips... One final nightmare is all it takes...  
  
  
~*~  
  
Retimon watched the eight children silently. One seemed to be terrified of going to sleep and refused to go to sleep no matter what his friends did. Finally, he was left alone and awake.  
  
So these are the children that stand in my way. But why would one be so afraid of sleep? Retimon pondered.  
  
Finding no answer to the question, he settled back down to watch the eight Digidestined.   
  
They don't seem too formidable. I don't see how they could have even beaten a Seadramon.   
  
Retimon stopped wondering and simply observed the children once again.   
  
I shall not attack tonight, he decided and stealthily raced away from the Digidestined's camp.  
  
  
~*~  
  
Izzy sat up drenched in sweat. He hadn't meant to go to sleep, but somewhere along the line his eyes had closed and he had dozed off.   
  
He looked around at the rest of the group, hoping he hadn't woken anyone up with his struggling. This nightmare had been horrible.  
  
It was too late to go back to sleep now; everyone would soon be awake. That was when the realization hit him like a truck. The nightmare might come true. And if it did...  
  
He shivered and thought: I'll know once they're all awake.  
  
  
~*~  
  
Matt slowly opened his eyes and looked around before sitting up. The terrible, excruciating pain was finally gone, but he had a sense that something else was going on. Something huge that he had missed.   
  
He didn't like that feeling at all.   
  
How long was I unconscious? He wondered, still surveying the camp that had been set up.  
  
He noticed that Izzy was already awake, but said nothing. Something about Izzy's expression kept him silent.  
  
Matt watched as one by one the other Digidestined awoke. First Sora, then Joe, and then Tai.  
  
Sora and Joe were both very quiet so as not to wake the others, but after a few moments, Tai screamed, waking TK, Kari and Mimi.  
  
"What is it, Tai?" Sora worriedly questioned.  
  
"I-I can't see," Tai shakily responded. "I can hear you all but I can't see!"  
  
Izzy fainted at this remark. This was so unexpected and so strange that Mimi screamed.  
  
"What's going on?" Tai quarried.  
  
"Izzy just fainted," Kari explained.  
  
"Why can't I see?" Tai added.  
  
Izzy suddenly came to and said: "please let it be a dream."  
  
"Let what be a dream?" TK wondered.  
  
"Can Tai see?" Izzy answered.  
  
Tai answered: "no I can't see. Do you know anything about it?"  
  
Izzy paled and answered: "it's my fault then."  
  
"What are you talking about, Izzy?" Matt responded, totally bewildered.  
  
Izzy quietly replied: "I had a dream that some one was...was blind. Now Tai is blind."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	3. Default Chapter Title

Disclaimer: You can't sue me because I don't own Digimon in any way, shape or form.   
  
  
Nightmares Come True III  
  
  
  
  
Izzy walked purposefully toward one of the many cliffs that was nearby and stood at the edge. He looked down into the abyss below. The setting sun painted the rocky walls a reddish-brown color and far, far below was the ground. Even from the great height he was at, Izzy could see jagged rocks wickedly protruding from the ground.  
  
A fall like that would kill someone, he thought. He hadn't come to the cliff for the view, though. There was a more horrible part to his nightmare; one that hadn't come true yet and one he hoped would never come true. He had been afraid to tell the others of this terrible part of the dream.  
  
Ah, but if you weren't alive, the dream couldn't come true now, could it? A small, awful voice in the back of his mind commented.  
  
Izzy looked back down to the ground far below. The events of the day came flooding back into his mind.   
  
The first ten minutes after Izzy had announced that Tai was blind had been chaotic. All he could remember was rapid-fire questions being thrown at him faster than he could answer them. Once the initial shock had worn off, everyone had been very quiet. The rest of the group had gotten Tai breakfast, much to his disgust. He had said he didn't want any of their sympathy.  
  
Izzy shook his head to try and clear his mind, but the images continued. At first nobody would allow Tai to get up, afraid that he would get hurt, but he insisted on being allowed to walk on his own. Finally, Sora had helped him to his feet and taken his hand, leading him along so he wouldn't trip or bump into anything.  
  
The chiding voice returned with: you see? If you weren't alive, none of this would have happened!  
  
Izzy took a final look down to the rocky ground far below and decided he would do it. He would jump and that would be the end of it.   
  
Slowly he walked closer to the edge. Closer... Closer... Only a few more steps now... And then his feet were met with nothing to support them and he plummeted toward the ground below.  
  
As he fell, he reflected on all the trouble he had caused, how it was all going to stop for them. The drop was long enough for him to run through the list several times. Finally, he saw the ground rushing up at him. It would be done in only five seconds more.  
  
Four... All the suffering would end...  
  
Three... They would never miss him...  
  
Two... His real parents hadn't even loved him enough to keep him...  
  
One... Izzy shut his eyes and waited for impact...  
  
Nothing happened. Izzy opened one eye, half expecting to see the fabled white light-something, anything that would prove that he was dead. He was suspended in midair only millimeters from the jagged ground, not falling at all.  
  
He looked around, curious as to what had just happened. Finally, he looked up. A strange Digimon was looking back down at him. It looked a lot like an enormous owl, except that the eyes were glowing brightly. Izzy noticed that this owl-like Digimon had caught him.  
  
"What do you want?" Izzy angrily questioned.  
  
The Digimon continued to hover in midair, seemingly not hearing Izzy's question.  
  
Izzy sighed in exasperation and repeated: "what do you want?"  
  
Still, the Digimon didn't answer. Izzy was about to ask once again, but quite suddenly and unexpectedly, the Digimon stated: "you were going to take your own life."  
  
"And why shouldn't I? I'm causing my friends a lot of grief. I don't deserve to live," Izzy argued.  
  
"Please listen to what I have to say," the Digimon continued. "If after I finish you still consider yourself unfit to live, I will return you to what you were doing."  
  
"I am a bit busy at the moment," Izzy coldly responded.  
  
"Please. It is urgent," the Digimon pleaded.  
  
Izzy sighed in exasperation again and said: "OK, but please make it brief."  
  
"You are the one," the Digimon melodramatically announced.  
  
For nearly the first time in his life, Izzy was totally bewildered.  
  
"You are the one of all of the Digidestined that is most fit to live."  
  
"I find that hard to believe," Izzy answered.  
  
"All of the others, they have not your superior sense of knowledge. Nor have they any real purpose at all," the Digimon added. "They are simply a hindrance; an obstacle that you must overcome before your life is perfect. Why, all of them combined could never accomplish what you alone could do in an instant."  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about," Izzy muttered.  
  
"You don't need the others. It is you who is destined to be the one who saves the worlds. The others are against you. They are evil."  
  
"That's not true!" Izzy shouted. "I know them!"  
  
"But do you? They are holding you back," the Digimon argued.  
  
Izzy was getting sick and tired of this Digimon's talk. "Exactly who are you?" he quarried.  
  
"I am Retimon. A simple Champion Digimon. Nothing more, nothing less," the Digimon replied. "Have you made your decision?"  
  
"I would never betray my friends!" Izzy screamed.  
  
"You mean your enemies," Retimon answered.  
  
"Just leave me alone!" Izzy yelled.  
  
"You will soon see the sense in my words," Retimon answered, flying high up into the sky with Izzy.  
  
"I won't go with you!" Izzy shrieked.  
  
"You have no choice," Retimon stated.  
  
With those benedictory words, Retimon began flying towards the mountains.  
  
"NO!" Izzy screamed, but his protest was unheeded as they continued on toward the mountains.  
  
  
~*~  
  
"Did you hear that?" Kari questioned.  
  
"Hear what?" TK answered.  
  
"Something's happened to Izzy," Kari replied. "I heard him cry out."  
  
"I heard something, too," Sora stated, still leading Tai around.  
  
Grim silence followed this remark.  
  
"So what should we do?" Mimi finally wondered.  
  
"If he's in trouble, we should find him," Tai replied.  
  
"But where is he?" Matt responded.  
  
"It sounded like he was over in that direction," Tai answered, pointing toward the mountains.  
  
"In the mountains?" Joe incredulously questioned. "Why would he be there?"  
  
"I don't know," Tai said. "All I do know is that it sounded like he was over there. I think we should at least try and find him."  
  
They started toward the mountains, but in less than five minutes a new problem presented itself.   
  
A silvery, vapory Digimon had appeared. It spoke in a wispy voice: "where is the one who bears Knowledge?"  
  
Tai, unable to see this new Digimon quietly questioned Sora of what was going on.  
  
"It's a Digimon that looks like it's made out of vapor, Tai," Sora whispered back.  
  
"Why do you want him?" Matt questioned.  
  
The gas-like Digimon made no reply and simply stared at them, awaiting an answer.  
  
"Izzy's not here," Tai stated. "None of us know where he is."  
  
For a moment, the vapory Digimon seemed to flicker and almost disappear, but then it was back and it said: "I must find him before I can execute the plan."  
  
"What plan?" Joe wondered.  
  
"That," the Digimon grandly replied, "you will find out in due time. I need only find Knowledge, then it will begin..."  
  
With those strange words, the vapory Digimon disappeared completely.   
  
"It's gone," Sora told Tai.  
  
Tai nodded and replied: "come on; we've got to find Izzy before that... Thing does. I have a bad feeling about this."  



	4. Default Chapter Title

Disclaimer: Don't waste time and energy by trying to sue me because I write fan fiction. I don't own Digimon at all and never will.  
  
  
  
Nightmares Come True IV  
  
  
  
Izzy had stopped struggling against the owl-like Retimon. There was no way he would be able to wiggle out of its talons. He was now just watching the mountains growing ever closer to them with an apprehensive feeling.  
  
"So where are we going?" Izzy questioned.   
  
Retimon sounded delighted that Izzy was speaking to him and happily stated: "my home."  
  
Izzy watched as they made it to the beginnings of the mountains. They were flying at a surprisingly fast pace and more than once they swerved dangerously close to the sharp edge of a mountain.  
  
Quite frankly, Izzy would rather they actually did hit the mountains. With any luck, it would do what his jump from the cliffs had been intended to do.  
  
They never hit the mountains. Izzy could see a small, hollowed out cave entrance on the edge of a sharply sloped mountain. They soared through it and Izzy was dropped to the ground a couple of feet below.  
  
Retimon beamed happily at Izzy as Izzy took in his surroundings curiously. The cave, although it looked crude and primitive from the outside was actually very complex. Four huge hallways radiated from the room leading far into the darkness beyond.  
  
"Why do you want me?" Izzy quarried, still surveying the cave with a sense of awe.  
  
"I have already explained it for you," Retimon answered. "You see, you are truly the one destined to save the worlds. The others are simply here to stop you."  
  
"Liar," Izzy muttered. "I know them. They are my friends."  
  
"Oh no, no, no, no," Retimon answered. "Please, you must understand that this is truly for both your own good and the good of both worlds."  
  
"What is for my own good?" Izzy coldly replied.  
  
Retimon looked shocked and loftily responded: "why, the deaths of your so-called friends."  
  
"But-" Izzy began, but Retimon cut him off.  
  
"Come now, I will show you to your room."  
  
Izzy made no move to follow Retimon, so Retimon simply picked him up as he had when he had jumped off the cliff and flew down one of the hallways.  
  
The hallway was very long and it had smaller tunnels leading off of it. At one point, the hallway opened back out to a gigantic cavern, but it narrowed back into a passage once again. Izzy could tell that what had looked like a small cave actually went through more than one mountain, as he could see narrow, crumbly walkways connecting the original mountain to several others. Finally, they stopped flying and Izzy was once again tossed onto the ground.  
  
"Here is your room," Retimon cried.  
  
"You mean my prison," Izzy muttered, half hoping Retimon would hear. He turned to speak to Retimon, but Retimon had already closed the huge stone door and gone.  
  
Izzy first tried the door, but upon finding it locked took in his new surroundings.  
  
The room he was in was quite small. A thin cot lay on the floor as a makeshift bed and a tiny window near the high ceiling let in just a bit of luminous moonlight. On the far back wall, a fire was crackling, warming the room a bit. Other than these rather uninteresting features, the room was bare.  
  
Izzy thankfully noted that his laptop was still safely in its case on his back, unharmed. He was sorely disappointed to find however, that it needed to recharge before he could use it.  
  
  
~*~  
  
"Tell me again why we're doing this," Joe grunted, sweat trickling down his forehead as he held on to a rock that jutted out of the mountain's side. He looked back down at Mimi below him then instantly wished he hadn't. They were high above the ground and he felt a flutter in the bottom of his stomach.   
  
"Yeah," Mimi added. "I don't like this at all."  
  
"This mountain is the most likely one Izzy would be in. I mean, there's this huge cave at the top. Where else would he be?" Matt answered from below Mimi.  
  
Sora and Tai came last, picking their way very slowly up the side of the mountain. Sora hadn't wanted Tai to go at all, but Tai had insisted.  
  
TK and Kari were begging to tire from their efforts as well, but neither wanted to say anything.  
  
"How far are we?" Tai asked.  
  
"We're almost there," Sora patiently replied.   
  
This remark did little to help Tai. "Almost there" could mean anything from a couple of feet to another third of the mountain left to scale.  
  
Luckily, in this case almost there really did mean almost there.  
  
The seven Digidestined were soon sitting outside the cave exhausted.   
  
"So now what?" Kari asked after she had recovered her breath.  
  
"We go in," Tai simply replied.   
  
  
~*~  
  
Izzy rubbed his hands tenderly. They were bruised from pounding on the door so much and his voice had gotten hoarse from shouting.   
  
At one point Retimon had come back for a bit and said: "really, you'll see it my way once it's all done."  
  
For all he knew, nobody knew where he was or even cared. He couldn't have been more wrong in thinking nobody cared...  
  
  
~*~  
  
Shiftumon had silently followed the seven children. Apparently, they were searching for their lost comrade.   
  
If they found him, then the plan would work.   
  
What had been most surprising was when they had gone to Retimon's cave. Had Retimon taken the child of Knowledge?  
  
Shiftumon certainly hoped not. He tried to avoid hurting fellow Digimon and Retimon were hard to kill-dangerous even, even if they were Champions instead of Ultimates like himself. He had always been told it was their will to live and their stubbornness that made them so difficult to kill.  
  
He went into the cave and glided through the tunnels easily. Finally, he found what he was looking for. Knowledge was here.   
  
Silently, Shiftumon cursed Retimon for making his job harder, but he silently evaporated away. The time was not yet ripe.  
  
  
~*~  
  
"I say we split up and go down each of the corridors," Matt argued with Tai.  
  
"But if there are four corridors and seven of us, somebody will have to be left alone," Tai answered. "I think we should pick one and stick together."  
  
"But it could take days if we do that!" Matt shouted back.  
  
"Matt, for once can you please just do things my way without an argument?" Tai quietly asked.  
  
Matt opened his mouth to reply and swallowed his remark. He decided to give Tai a break, just this once. He wouldn't admit it out loud, but he felt sorry for him, hiving to get used to being blind so suddenly.  
  
"Fine," he muttered.  
  
They were soon heading down the corridor...  
  
  
~*~  
  
Retimon watched the eight children advancing down the tunnel he had taken Izzy.   
  
If they continue in that direction, they'll find him for sure, he thought. I shall just have to confront them... If they reach the cavern...  
  
Even with one of them apparently blind, they were moving at an alarming pace.  
  
I may be a Champion, but that doesn't mean that I am not strong...  



	5. Default Chapter Title

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, so please don't so me for writing fan fics.   
  
  
  
Nightmares Come True V  
  
  
  
  
The seven Digidestined walked apprehensively down the dank cave corridor. Though the tunnel system was complex, it was mostly what was expected of a cave. The halls were cold and damp. A faint dripping sound echoed from somewhere far, far down one of the many tunnels. Stalactites hung from the ceiling at random intervals and stalagmites littered the edges of the tunnels in some areas.   
  
They had been walking through the long, winding main corridor for some time now. A chilling breeze had started blowing at them from somewhere far down the tunnel, foreshadowing the ending of the tunnel.   
  
Quite abruptly, once they had turned a bend, the corridor ended and nothing but a narrow and very crumbly walkway was left for them to walk on.  
  
Matt was the first one out of the tunnel. He jumped back, surprised at the sudden difference. Once all the others had gotten to the edge of the corridor, Sora said: "there is no way we can get over that. Look at it! It's falling apart!"  
  
"What is it?" Tai quarried. "I know the tunnel's gone, but what's wrong?"  
  
"How did you know the tunnel ended?" TK wondered.  
  
"I don't know. The air feels a lot different, I guess," Tai supplied. "Are you going to tell me what's so unsafe?"  
  
"It's an old walkway between two mountains that looks like it's falling apart," Joe explained.  
  
Tai was quiet all through the description. Once Joe stopped speaking, Tai suggested: "if it's as bad as you say it is, we should go across two by two. If we all went across at the same time, it could fall."  
  
There was much debate over who went across with who. At first, Tai had wanted to take Kari across himself, but Sora pointed out that Kari might not know how to keep him from falling. Joe had wanted to go with Mimi, but Mimi wouldn't hear of it. She instead wanted to go with Matt, but Matt wanted to go with TK to make sure he would be safe.  
  
Finally in the end they made the plan: Matt and TK would go first, then Mimi and Kari followed by Tai and Sora, then Joe would go last.  
  
Joe hadn't wanted to go alone, but he had obliged simply because TK and Kari needed someone to go with them and Tai couldn't see where he was going.   
  
All went smoothly when Matt and TK went across the small bridge. Mimi shook with fear when she took her first couple of steps, then quickly pulled Kari along to the other side. Tai and Sora went very slowly and carefully to make sure that Tai didn't fall, and finally, Joe reluctantly went across, telling himself not to look down.  
  
At the moment they had all gotten across, the walkway came crashing down, the rocks crashing loudly to the ground far below.  
  
"We're stuck here now," Joe muttered.  
  
"Then lets hope Izzy's down here somewhere," Kari grimly replied.  
  
  
~*~  
  
Those children made it through the collapsible bridge. It will not be long before they are here. Only a single obstacle stands between me and them.   
  
If...When they make it through, I will have no mercy, Retimon pondered...  
  
  
~*~  
  
"Doesn't this all seem a little... easy?" Joe quarried. It was the first sound that had been made since they had left the now destroyed old bridge.  
  
"Easy? I wouldn't call mountain climbing and rickety bridges easy," Mimi muttered.  
  
"There's got to be something behind all this. Whoever kidnapped Izzy isn't going to just let us take him back. There's got to be something bigger than some stupid bridge," Joe explained.  
  
"It does seem a little too easy," Matt admitted.  
  
His remark was punctuated by a loud crash.  
  
"Guess I spoke too soon," he muttered.  
  
A huge cloud of dust was rushing at them. Another crash, much louder and closer this time sounded and that was when the realization struck them... The tunnel was collapsing!  
  
"Run!" Sora shouted, dragging Tai along.  
  
The seven Digidestined ran as quickly as their legs would take them down the hallway. Rocks were pounding down behind them, sending clouds of choking dust into the air behind them.  
  
Though they were running as quickly as they could, the falling rocks were getting closer and closer. Matt had managed to pick TK up and was running as quickly as he could while holding his younger brother. Tai had refused to move until he had also picked up Kari. By some miracle, this had been accomplished, though it was slowing him and Sora down considerably.  
  
"Look! The tunnel ends just up ahead!" Joe shouted over the constant crashing.  
  
With a final burst of energy, the Digidestined jumped from the tunnel and into a huge cavern. Once the tunnel had totally collapsed, it immediately reconstructed itself, but with a slight error: a giant boulder now blocked the tunnel mouth.  
  
Approaching from the other end of the cavern was an owl-like Digimon.  
  
"What do you want?" Mimi quivered.  
  
"I simply want the rightful Digidestined to live while the others die," the owl-like Digimon stated.  
  
"Who are you?" Tai questioned.  
  
"Retimon," the owl-like Digimon simply replied.  
  
Sora had already given Tai a description of what Retimon looked like.  
  
"Are you what's been making Izzy's nightmares come true?" TK innocently inquired.  
  
"Nightmares coming true? Preposterous," Retimon muttered. "Enough with the talk. Let's get down to business... Sniper's Light!"  
  
He threw his wings back and a silvery force shot out of them heading directly for Kari.  
  
It hit her directly on the chest and sent her hurtling back into the cavern wall painfully. She had been launched from Tai's arms.  
  
"I have very good aim," Retimon added. "Now right will be instilled into the Digidestined!"   
  
A Sniper's Light was sent flashing through the air toward the remaining Digidestined...  
  
  
~*~  
  
Izzy looked up, surprised. The door to his "room" had silently swung open.  
  
"Who's there?" he called out, looking around for his freer. He saw something that looked like vapory gases dissolve into thin air.  
  
"Wait!" Izzy shouted, but it had already evaporated. "Thanks," he muttered and began to pick his way back the way Retimon had brought him...  
  



	6. Default Chapter Title

Disclaimer: Not in my wildest dreams could I own Digimon. They do not belong to me.   
  
  
  
Nightmares Come True VI  
  
  
  
  
"Why are you doing this?" Sora cried out.  
  
"None of you deserve to live," Retimon coolly answered.  
  
"What have we ever done that would make you think that?" TK wailed.  
  
"I bet you don't even know what your friend was going to do before I got him!" Retimon shrieked, growing angrier by the second.  
  
A pause. Then: "he was going to commit suicide!" Retimon burst out.  
  
"Izzy? Kill himself?" Mimi wondered.  
  
"But he's not like that at all!" Tai added.  
  
Retimon smiled, which was no easy task, seeing as he had a hooked beak in the place of a mouth.  
  
"But do you truly know your friend? He jumped off a cliff and insisted I leave him to his business when I saved him," Retimon calmly answered.  
  
Shocked silence followed this remark. It was pierced quite suddenly when Retimon sent another Sniper's Light heading their way.  
  
It was heading directly at Sora. She jumped out of its way, causing it to miss her.  
  
Surprisingly, Retimon began laughing. "Don't try to dodge, it is pointless," he cackled.  
  
The light suddenly stopped inches away from the wall and began heading straight back for Sora.  
  
She was so surprised she couldn't move at all. It blasted her full in the face, sending her flying through the air screaming in pain. Her screams were cut short suddenly when she hit her head on the far cave wall, knocking her out.  
  
More Sniper's Lights were flying through the air, some swerving back to hit a Digidestined a glancing blow, others flung so quickly they hit the cavern walls.   
  
Joe was thrown into the cavern wall and knocked out as Sora had been by a particularly strong Sniper's Light.  
  
As yet another Sniper's Light plowed into a wall, heavy boulders began falling from the ceiling.   
  
"If this doesn't stop soon, this whole place is going to fall apart," Matt muttered under his breath. He looked up just in time to see one of the huge boulders falling toward Tai.  
  
"Tai, look out!" Matt shouted, hoping to be heard above the rumbling.  
  
Tai moved, but not quickly enough. The boulder hit him and he fell to the ground with a sickening crack. Luckily, the boulder was not on top of him, but his arm was at a crazy angle.  
  
Mimi's eyes widened as blood poured openly from Tai's arm.  
  
Tai screamed and sat up, holding his injured arm with his other hand.  
  
Matt, Mimi and TK raced over to him and he asked: "how bad is it?"  
  
Matt was about to answer: "look for yourself," but then he remembered that Tai was still blind.   
  
"It's not broken is it?" Tai added, his now unfocused eyes hopeful.  
  
Mimi's face was pure white and she whispered: "excuse me" before running away. Matt heard her vomiting and she returned wiping her mouth embarrassed.   
  
"Well..." Matt muttered.  
  
"Just tell me," Tai demanded.  
  
"I think it is," Matt answered, his voice suggesting he more than thought.   
  
Tai was about to say something, but he passed out before he could say anything...  
  
  
~*~  
  
I must be going the correct way, Izzy thought. I remember this passage. If I'm not mistaken, I should come to a cavern once I'm around that bend...  
  
He had been hearing signs of a brutal battle happening and was running as quickly as he could toward it, hoping his friends would be there.   
  
Once he got around the bend, he saw most of his other friends lying unconscious on the ground. Sora had a gash just below her eye and she lay against one of the cavern walls. Joe was lying on the ground as well, his glasses miraculously not shattered. Kari was bleeding from a cut on her head, deep red blood matting her hair. Tai was also unconscious, his arm bleeding freely and lying at an odd angle. Mimi, though unharmed at the moment, looked terribly shaken. TK was in tears and Matt was staring wide-eyed at Retimon who was towering above them.  
  
Izzy raced into the room, hoping he wasn't too late and screamed: "stop it! Retimon, don't!"  
  
Retimon turned his large eyes upon Izzy and slowly blinked before quickly sputtering: "this is what must be done!"  
  
He turned back to the three remaining Digidestined and flew at them, picking Mimi up in his sharp talons, then forcibly throwing her across the room as though she were made of paper. Her shoulder was bleeding terribly from Retimon's sharp talons and she too was unconscious.   
  
"This isn't what's best for me no matter what you think!" Izzy cried.  
  
"Shut up, boy," Retimon snarled.  
  
Izzy's eyes widened. This Digimon seemed nothing like the one he had been kidnapped by. Though Retimon had taken him against his will, he had treated him kindly. Now he looked crazed, his eyes glowing with a maniacal fire that scared Izzy.  
  
"Sniper's Light!" Retimon screamed, aiming for TK. Izzy, however, grabbed one of Retimon's arms, forcing the light upward into the cavern ceiling.   
  
"Let me alone!" Retimon growled, throwing Izzy through the air. Luckily, he didn't hit a wall, but it was still a rather painful landing.  
  
"This is for your own good! You'll thank me when it's over!" Retimon hysterically babbled. "Sniper's Light!"  
  
The silvery jet of light flew at Izzy, hitting him hard in the chest. He gasped and passed out.  
  
Retimon's eyes suddenly softened at the realization of what he had done.   
  
"The... the boy! NO!" Retimon gasped, swooping down to Izzy's side.   
  
Matt and TK watched, startled at Retimon's sudden change in behavior.  
  
"He... he has to be OK!" Retimon whimpered. "He has to be!"  
  
Matt had an idea and reassuringly answered: "he will be."  
  
Retimon looked up in surprise and sobbed: "do you think so?"   
  
"Of course," Matt answered. What else was he supposed to say when faced with a question like that?  
  
"I-I'm sorry!" Retimon sobbed, great glittering tears cascading from his large eyes.  
  
A misty substance suddenly appeared. Matt and TK recognized it as the Digimon that had confronted them while they were searching for Izzy.  
  
Retimon looked up and sharply inquired: "what do YOU want, Shiftumon?"   
  
"To ally with you," Shiftumon silkily answered.  
  
Retimon stayed silent, so Shiftumon continued: "I have seen some of your... handiwork... and I would like to join you to destroy the Digidestined. Together, we can rule both worlds!"  
  
  



	7. Default Chapter Title

Disclaimer: I've run out of creative ways of saying I don't own Digimon, so I'll just say it: I DON'T OWN DIGIMON! Now onto the story...  
  
  
  
Nightmares Come True VII  
  
  
  
"So what do you say, Retimon? Join forces with me and rule the world? Or die trying to overpower me?" Shiftumon quarried.  
  
Retimon looked positively horrified.  
  
"I don't want to take over the world!" he cried.  
  
"You have certainly gotten an excellent start. You alone have nearly finished off the Digidestined," Shiftumon happily answered.  
  
"I wasn't killing the Digidestined!" Retimon argued.  
  
Shiftumon laughed and answered: "what would you call it, then?"  
  
"I was... modifying them," Retimon jerkily replied.  
  
"MODIFYING!" Shiftumon bellowed, causing pebbles to rain down from the ceiling. "MODIFYING!" he repeated, howling with laughter.  
  
"It's true," Retimon sulked. "I thought Knowledge was the only real Digidestined."  
  
Shiftumon stopped laughing and inquired: "so what'll it be?"  
  
"I won't join you," Retimon quietly responded.  
  
The moment the words had left Retimon's mouth, he dove at Shiftumon, hoping to hurt him in some way.  
  
"Don't bother," Shiftumon muttered, wafting easily away. Retimon flew straight into the wall.  
  
Matt watched in silence. This was all so strange. The Digimon that had been trying to kill them was now fighting for them against a new evil Digimon. He noticed that TK was shaking fearfully, but thankfully not saying a word.  
  
Retimon didn't take Shiftumon's advice. Over and over he flew at Shiftumon, trying to hit him and every time flying directly into a wall instead.  
  
Finally, after about fifteen minutes of endless battling, Retimon hit Shiftumon-only to go through him.  
  
Matt watched in horror as Retimon emerged, flying through the air, though not by use of his wings. Retimon bashed into the cave wall so forcefully his wing broke, though he didn't make a single sound.   
  
Matt realized that Retimon was unconscious, though from the collision with the wall or the contact with Shiftumon he was unsure.   
  
That was when the thing that Matt had known was inevitable happened: Shiftumon turned to them.  
  
"So Retimon didn't finish the job," he muttered. "Oh well, all the more fun for me."  
  
He lazily floated over to Matt and TK, who had been standing against one of the cave walls. Once he got close enough to them, his vapory form shuddered and he became another Digimon: a Togemon.   
  
Matt's eyes widened as the realization seeped in: Shiftumon was called Shiftumon because he could change forms.  
  
"Very good," Shiftumon muttered. "I see you know my... talent."  
  
He's psychic, Matt thought with a start.   
  
"That is correct," Shiftumon grinned.  
  
TK was watching this wide-eyed, not understanding who Shiftumon was speaking to; which added to his terror.  
  
Shiftumon smiled and picked up TK in one of his now gigantic boxing-gloved fists.  
  
NO! Not TK! Matt mentally screamed.   
  
Miraculously, this thought seemed to sway Shiftumon. He easily tossed TK aside, the small boy screaming as he fell to the ground painfully, but somewhat safe.  
  
Shiftumon reverted to his normal form and advanced on Matt.  
  
"Now you don't have that fool Retimon to save you this time," he hissed.   
  
Matt backed as far into the wall as he could. He hadn't been sure exactly what had happened to Retimon, but he didn't want to try his luck by coming into contact with Shiftumon.  
  
"Oh, you need not worry about that," Shiftumon airily muttered. "Worry instead for the safety of your friends... from you."  
  
Matt barely had time to wonder what Shiftumon could mean by this remark when he heard Shiftumon say: "Complete Control" so softly it was a wonder he heard it at all.  
  
Matt suddenly felt cold-freezing cold. It wasn't like the cold a person would feel on a snowy day. This cold was coming from inside him. He couldn't feel his body at all. His mind was numbed by the intense cold that was radiating through him.  
  
A voice in his head was telling him to get up, to stand up and get off the ground.  
  
Matt forced his eyes to focus and noticed that he was lying on the ground.  
  
When did I fall? He wondered. How can I get up? I can't move.  
  
The voice was now speaking more forcefully. He tried, but he couldn't even move his fingers. He gave up attempting to move and relaxed as best he could while knowing that he couldn't move.  
  
The instant he relaxed, his body began moving by itself. He was on his feet in a flash.  
  
But... How...? He wondered. No matter how he tried, he couldn't even move his mouth to speak and yet he had suddenly gotten to his feet.  
  
He was walking toward TK now, but his body was moving by itself again. He tried to stop, but his feet continued moving on doggedly.  
  
"Matt, are you all right?" TK quarried. His voice sounded cold and distant to Matt. It was like he was hearing his brother through a sheet of ice. He tried to answer, but his voice wouldn't work.  
  
"Matt?" TK repeated, now worried. Still Matt couldn't say a word.  
  
Matt managed to force his eyes to shift a bit to the right and he caught a glimpse of Shiftumon watching him with a satisfied look on his face.  
  
That was when the full truth hit him: Shiftumon was controlling his body.  
  
He could only watch as he drew his foot back and forcefully kicked TK in the ribs.  
  
Faintly, in the back of his mind, he could hear Shiftumon laughing at his mental protests to the pain he was causing his brother...  
  
  



	8. Default Chapter Title

Disclaimer: By now you should get the idea that I don't own Digimon. Don't sue me for writing fan fics. There, now that that's out of the way, enjoy the fic!  
  
Note: If words are in [], it means that people (or Digimon) are communicating mentally.  
  
  
  
Nightmares Come True VIII  
  
  
Matt could hear TK screaming in pain as he kicked him again and again. He wanted so badly to stop, but the more he resisted, the more forceful the kicks became.  
  
Abruptly, the brutality on his younger brother ended. Matt took this opportunity to break through Shiftumon's control.  
  
He gasped: "TK, I'm sorry." It was hard for him to speak; he was forcing the words to come. "Please forgive me for-AHHHH!" His apology was cut short when Shiftumon wrenched control of his body away from him, the terrible cold returning.  
  
The attack resumed on TK. [You'll be even more sorry once I get through with him], Shiftumon crowed to Matt.  
  
[Leave him alone! Stop it!] Matt screamed back, desperately.  
  
Shiftumon paused, then made Matt walk away from the broken, battered TK and walk instead toward Mimi.  
  
Mimi was still unconscious.  
  
[Don't hurt any of my friends!] Matt pleaded as he was forced to kneel down next to Mimi. Matt could only watch as Shiftumon made his hands touch Mimi's bloody shoulder in mock concern.   
  
Shiftumon took great pleasure in Matt's pleas and suddenly forced him to hit Mimi as hard as he possibly could.  
  
[NO! Don't hurt her!] Matt cried out, but to no avail. The beating continued until Shiftumon grew tired of hurting Mimi and decided to find another victim.  
  
Matt walked over to Tai.  
  
[Hmmmm. He's blind, is he? And a broken arm? This should be fun] Shiftumon stated as he forced Matt to bend Tai's broken arm behind his back, twisting it.  
  
The pain was so intense it brought Tai out of his unconsciousness screaming. He tried to get away, but the more he struggled, the more unbearable the pain became.  
  
Matt suddenly realized he was speaking out loud, though not of his own accord. It was Shiftumon's doing.  
  
"You made such a crappy leader, Tai. I swear, why did you think you could boss us all around? Well, look who's right now. Oh, I forgot you can't see," his voice mocked. "So who is this? Can you tell?"  
  
Tai didn't reply. He forced himself to stay still.  
  
"What's the matter, fearless leader? Scared?" Shiftumon added, still using Matt's voice. He twisted Tai's arm even more.  
  
Tai couldn't hold his cries of pain back any longer. He screamed and struggled to get free of the horrible pain, making the pain intensify.  
  
"Answer me! Who's winning now?" Matt's voice roared.  
  
"M-matt, why are you doing this?" Tai muttered.  
  
Shiftumon laughed and Matt took the opportunity to say: "it's not my fault. I'm sorry," before Shiftumon regained control.  
  
"Shut up, boy!" Shiftumon screamed, though now in his own voice instead of Matt's.  
  
"Who are you? What did you do to my friends?" Tai demanded, still feebly struggling against Shiftumon/Matt's grip.   
  
Shiftumon realized his mistake instantly and said once again in Matt's voice: "just me, Tai. Looks like you lose" before throwing Tai by his broken arm across the room. He fell, unconscious to the ground.  
  
[Now you will suffer for attempting to defy me] Shiftumon hissed.  
  
The cold feeling that Matt had had ever since Shiftumon had gained control of him suddenly intensified before he felt a mental pain that made him scream in agony. It happened again and again, leaving Matt even weaker than before.  
  
The pain quickly left Matt and Shiftumon forced him to brutalize all the other Digidestined as he pleased until he came to Izzy.  
  
"So this is the boy that that fool Retimon was so worried about. He doesn't look like anything special to me," Shiftumon muttered aloud.  
  
  
~*~  
  
Retimon felt as though he were made of stone. His eyes felt so heavy, his wings, like marble. He had heard screaming.   
  
I must open my eyes, he thought. He forced his weighted eyelids open to see one of the children standing over the child of Knowledge.  
  
"So this is the boy that that fool Retimon was so worried about. He doesn't look like anything special to me," the boy said-but something wasn't right. His voice didn't sound like his own... It sounded like Shiftumon's.  
  
Retimon's eyes started to close, but he forced them open, trying to figure out what was going on and breaking through his muddled thoughts.  
  
He saw the boy raising his hand above Knowledge. Clasped in his hand was a sharp rock.  
  
Shiftumon... Rock... Death... Who...? his thoughts were jumbled, but somehow he managed to pick something out: Shiftumon was controlling the boy-he was possessing the boy and now he was trying to kill Knowledge.  
  
Retimon forced his heavy wings to move and he choked: "sniper's light." Nothing happened.  
  
I'm too weak, he thought. He watched as the boy's hand began drawing closer to Knowledge's neck.  
  
I won't let him do this. Shiftumon may have beaten me, but he won't walk away from this alive, Retimon decided.  
  
Again, he forced his wings to move and with every ounce of strength he possessed, shouted: "sniper's light!"  
  
The silvery jet of light rushed from his wings straight at the boy. The final thing Retimon saw before his eyes closed forever was the light hitting the boy...  
  
  
~*~  
  
Matt felt something hit him in the back and could have cheered as he dropped the rock. Even though it hurt, the attack seemed to hurt Shiftumon in the extreme.  
  
[Looks like you lose!] Matt happily cried.  
  
[I may die, but I'll take you with me!] Shiftumon screamed.  
  
Matt felt a terrible pain in the back of his head.   
  
[No, you won't! I won't let you!] Matt screamed. [Get out of me!]  
  
Shiftumon's thoughts were becoming transparent. Matt could see everything Shiftumon knew. One thing interested him. He'd seen it only for a brief moment, but he knew what he had to do. If he could get Shiftumon out of his body, he would survive-and his friends would be healed.  
  
Matt concentrated all his energy into driving Shiftumon away, but he felt the pain increasing in his mind.  
  
[I will not leave you!] Shiftumon screamed.  
  
[And I won't let you win!] Matt answered back. [Now GET OUT!]  
  
Then Matt saw a flash of white light and he passed out...   
  
  
  
  



	9. Default Chapter Title

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, you don't sue me, and we are both perfectly happy!   
  
  
  
Nightmares Come True IX  
  
  
  
Matt woke back where they had been camped out earlier. The sun was shining brightly in his eyes, but he didn't care.  
  
"Oh, good, you're OK," Sora happily stated.  
  
"Huh?" Matt answered.  
  
Matt looked around and saw all his other friends standing around him.  
  
"Hey! You're all OK again!" Matt shouted. "TK, I'm so sorry for hurting you back there! Shiftumon was controlling me."  
  
"Who are you talking about?" TK wondered. "What's a Shiftumon?"   
  
"But-- you mean to say you don't remember?" Matt pressed.  
  
"Remember what?" Joe answered.  
  
"Shiftumon and Retimon? The mountain climb? Izzy being kidnapped? The walk through the cave? Me being attacked? Tai being blind? None of it?" Matt bewilderedly quarried, getting to his feet.  
  
"I think that bump on the head messed with his brain," Tai muttered. "I was never blind."  
  
"Maybe you should lay back down," Joe suggested. "Maybe you haven't recovered from that branch falling on you."  
  
"No, I'm OK," Matt insisted. "But it happened!"  
  
"Well, if you're sure you're OK, we should be going then," Tai replied.  
  
The eight Digidestined began walking down the trail in the forest they had been traveling through for quite some time now.  
  
"Hey, Matt?" Izzy muttered.  
  
"What?" Matt responded.  
  
"I remember," Izzy quietly murmured. "I do not know why their memories were wiped, but I remember it."  
  
"Hurry up, you guys! Even TK and I are going faster than you," Kari joked.  
  
Matt looked at Izzy's expression, searching for any sign of foolery, but he was serious. Silently, Matt caught up to the rest of the group.  
  
"So what's up with you anyway?" Sora quarried.  
  
"It's a long story," Matt answered. "Izzy should have some say in it, too."  
  
"Hey, we've gotta have something to keep our spirits up," Tai replied. "Why don't you tell it?"  
  
Izzy sighed and started: "it all began when I started having nightmares when I was very small. Nothing really came of them until they came true...."  
  
  
THE END  
  
  
(A/N: So what did ya think? This story had the most parts out of all of mine so far! Hope you all enjoyed it. ^_^)  
  
  



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